Blackbaud in the News: Ideas that work - Strategic Planning 101

From Philanthropy Journal

By Rosita Bradham, Blackbaud Principal Consultant 

In today's economic climate, more and more nonprofits are looking for tools to help guide them through an uncertain future.

Developing a strategic plan can help organizations assess where they are today and build a vision for where they want to be. 

Before you jump into your plan, there are some basic principles of strategic planning you should keep in mind:

• Identify key stakeholders. Your supporters are your greatest resource.
• Identify key supporters and engage them in your planning process. You are likely to uncover innovative ideas and resources. Involving your staff members at all levels in the planning process is also very important. By gathering and incorporating their ideas into the plan, they will likely feel more engaged in bringing the vision to life.
• Create realistic and achievable goals. Focus on outcomes, and integrate all activities toward achieving clearly understood and measurable directions/strategies.
• Be adaptable and flexible. Your plan should serve as a guide; it is important to check in on a regular basis to update/refresh it.

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